Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 8 | Page 32

ARTICLE #3 | 32 ARTICLE #3 Title Design and Management of Higher Education Trans- National Education (TNE) Provision: Ten Lessons from an Action Research Project Authors Dr. Keith Walley (author for correspondence), Sandra Turner, Dr. Gillian Wright, and Feng Tan DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.21252/ KEELE-0000015 Contact [email protected] Abstract The purpose of this paper is to provide insight for the design and management of university Trans-National Education (TNE) provision. The guidance is experientially based and generated from an action research study utilising empirical survey findings relating to a long-standing TNE programme involving a UK university and a Chinese partner university. The paper identifies a number of lessons for TNE provision but especially important are the need to form a strong relationship with the partner institution, acculturate the students from the start of the programme and the key role of the formal induction programme once they arrive in the UK. The findings of this study should constitute lessons for senior managers and course managers involved in designing and managing TNE programmes at UK universities. The main limitation of the study is its focus on just one TNE programme and, hence the generalisability of the findings, but it does make an original contribution to knowledge in terms of the successful operation of a TNE programme. Keywords Trans-National Education (TNE), Action Research, international education, China Introduction Students who seek an education in a foreign country are, in fact, carrying on a rich tradition that extends back many centuries (Furnham, 2004). In a wider sense, transitions between different cultural communities have been chronicled and included in myths and legends since the early stages of civilisation (Chirkov, 2009). However, international education is not without its challenges relating to cultural differences and adaptation (Shafaei and Razak, 2016; Baklashova and Kazakov, 2016), cross-cultural management (Li et al, 2016), differences in language and accents (Acar, 2016), different learning styles and participation (Straker, 2016), and diverse national standards (Hefferman et al, 2010; Hill et al, 2014). Nevertheless, for HEIs engaging in international education, these issues, are usually perceived to be outweighed by the concomitant benefits, as it can produce increased revenue, enhanced global profile, and a strengthened international reputation for a university (Mellors-Bourne et al, 2014.) Furthermore, students who travel can benefit from good quality education (Lin, 2006) and all students, domestic as well as international, benefit from an enriched educational experience (Luo and Jamieson-Drake, 2013) arising from the development of intercultural competencies and a broadened perspective (QAA, 2015). Moreover, in a rapidly globalising world (Eken et al, 2014; Wild et al, 2010) Sip (2014) postulates that the international perspective is an absolute necessity to overcome issues associated with nationalism and the trend to travel overseas in order to study what has become known as educational tourism (Sotikova et al, 2016). Indeed, of the 2,266,075 students enrolled on Higher Education courses in the UK during 2014/15, 437,352 (19.3%) were from overseas (HESA, 2016). This was a significant increase from 1998/99 when the total number of students enrolled on Higher Education courses in the UK stood at 1,845,757 and just 219,285 (11.9%) were from overseas (Ramsden, 2009). For individuals who opt to study abroad the implications can be literally life-changing and all those involved in the process need to take their responsibilities very seriously (Spencer-Oatey, 2004). It is gratifying, therefore, that the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) reports that most UK universities are aware of this responsibility as well as the magnitude of the issues involved, and have adopted strategic approaches to the provision of support for overseas students (QAA, 2008). In addition, while there are complex and wide-ranging issues relating to foreign students and international study (Altbach, 1989), the importance of the subject has led to considerable research in to overseas students and the ARTICLE #3 | 33 DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION TRANS-NATIONAL EDUCATION (TNE) PROVISION: TEN LESSONS FROM AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT aim of this paper is to add to this body of knowledge by reporting the findings of a longitudinal study relating to a long-standing Trans- National Education (TNE) programme involving a UK university and a Chinese partner university. To begin, however, it is useful to consider TNE in the broader context. Trans-National Education Trans-National Education (TNE) is defined as “the delivery of programmes overseas by a parent institution either operating directly or in association with an international partner” (Stafford and Taylor, 2016) and it has dramatically changed in scope and scale over the last decade (Knight, 2016). In the UK, higher education institutions now offer a multitude of transnational education programmes through a diverse and complex range of delivery modes (Mellors- Bourne et al, 2014) including overseas campus’s, franchising, dual and joint awards, flying faculty, and distance learning (Robinson et al, 2016; Tang and Nollent, 2007; Smith, 2014 and QAA, 2013; Knight, 2016). This expansion means that for many UK universities TNE is now a major component of their international strategy and the international students that are recruited via this route are seen as important educational assets (QAA, 2015). Although changes in the socio-economic situation of host countries, along with changing university priorities, mean that every year in the UK some TNE initiatives are terminated (eg Robinson et al, 2016) in recent years a much larger number of new TNE initiatives have been launched so there has been rapid growth in TNE provided by UK universities (Hill et al, 2014). In 2012 TNE generated approximately £496m for UK universities (Mellors-Bourne et al, 2014) and public bodies such as JISC (JISC, 2017) have undertaken investment in infrastructure to permit further future growth. In practice many TNE initiatives are focused on business and management, (Siora et al, 2016) which is not impacted by geography to the same extent as many other subjects, and which is, therefore, more suitable for TNE programmes which typically involve partner universities in South- East Asia in general and China in particular (Robinson et al, 2016). Indeed, having recognised inherent weaknesses in its own Higher Education system China has developed a strong conviction to transform its higher education system (Mok and Han, 2016), and one of the main mechanisms for this transformation is TNE. Support for TNE in China has been provided by the 2010-2020 Mid and Long- Term China Education Reform and Development Plan published in 2010 as well as inclusion of TNE in Premier Li Keqiang’s list of priority areas and industries for China (HEFCE, 2014). So while Chinese